Polish sign-writing for the deaf book released
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
19.09.2012 13:19
The first Polish ‘sign writing’ for the deaf handbook has been published in Poland, which was first developed by a ballet dancer in the 1970s.
The iconic system of a pictographic recording of the sign language, first developed by US ballet dancer Valerie Sutton, has now been adapted to the needs of the Polish hearing-impaired community, says Jakub Józefiak, the mastermind behind the publication.
“In the book’s layout, you first see an entry in Polish, followed by a notation in the sign language, accompanied by the iconic image in sign writing,” he tells Polish Radio.
“We created the handbook jointly with a group of teachers of the hearing-impaired. The publication has undergone a peer review and is now ready for release.”
The sign writing alphabet, which features hand gestures rendering the iconic imagery of the letters, is a welcomed innovation to the Polish repertoire of sign language.
The new tool facilitates everyday activities, such as writing emails, making notes, memos, or – from the perspective of the teaching staff – preparing visuals for deaf students.
Sign writing also paves the way for the development of literature and the release of periodicals in the Polish sign language.
Efforts are now underway to include sign writing into the Polish curriculum for the deaf students within an estimated 900,000-strong community nationwide. (aba)